Tour of California comes to Santa Barbara Again
February 20th, 2008 Categories: Lifestyle / Things to Do, Santa Barbara
Once again the Amgen Tour of California will make its way to the Santa Barbara area, with the individual time trial this Friday the 22nd of February in Solvang and the beginning of stage six starting in Santa Barbara the following day.
Many locals are extatic each year to see the race come through our neighborhoods. Over the last many years with the fame of Lance Armstrong, the Santa Barbara area has become a biking destination and training area for many professional riders. I myself have viewed the race twice and was overly impressed. One year we lined oursleves on the sprint down in front of Shoreline Park and were truly overwhelmed at the speeds reached. Another great aspect of the race is the few hours preceding the start of the stage the following morning. You can gather down on Cabrillo Boulevard and for the most part engage riders with some small talk and questions, gaze at equipment, take some pictures and simply experience a good amount of what goes on with the team’s preparations.
The time trial begins at noon on Friday and is expected to take most riders about three hours to complete.
The 105-mile stage six of the tour is a long stage beginning in Santa Barbara on Cabrillo Boulevard between Garden Street and Calle Caesar Chavez on Feb. 23 at 11 a.m. For the first time in 3 years, the stage will wind through downtown Carpinteria as well.
The eight-day tour started in wet weather this year in Palo Alto on Feb. 17 with the prologue going to Juan Jose Haedo of Argentina. The final stage concludes Feb. 24 in Pasadena.
Links: Amgen Tour of California, Tour of California - Solvang (shows many of the best viewing spots for the time trial here locally)
Further Reading: Support Turning the Tide on Ocean Pollution Here in Santa Barbara CA., Summer Art, Culture, Festivals in Santa Barbara CA., Santa Barbara Int’l Film Festival Kicks Off, The Secret of The Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Your Santa Barbara Weekend Home Getaway
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
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Your Santa Barbara Weekend Home Getaway
February 19th, 2008 Categories: Community Events, Lifestyle / Things to Do, Santa Barbara
For those longing for the feeling of getting away from Santa Barbara for a few days, a favorite weekend away for many has been El Capitan Canyon. This “luxury campground” is located only about a 25 minutes north of Santa Barbara CA and 15 minutes north of Goleta. The picturesque and semi rustic location in a seaside pocket on 300 plus acres on the Pacific coast, the nature lodging experience at El Capitan Canyon was created for those needing a few days to unwind, relax and touch base with nature.
The combination of many traditional resort amenities with the minimalism of the overall experience, El Capitan Canyon has created a pure comfort form many couples as well as families to come to enjoy. A small rustic home away from your Santa Barbara home, El Capitan is a return to many of life’s simple beauties.
Starting in April and continuing through early October, the Saturday night canyon concert series is one of my favorite excursions out of Santa Barbara. The intimate “concerts” are held in a great open-air venue in El Capitan Canyon that is extremely kid friendly with a huge outdoor fire pit and lawn area. You will find children roasting marshmallows over the open fire, people talking and dancing, while others are stuffing their bellies from the huge BBQ that is grilled up each time. You are also allowed to bring your own personal pick-nick baskets and drinks.
Further Reading: Support Turning the Tide on Ocean Pollution Here in Santa Barbara CA., Summer Art, Culture, Festivals in Santa Barbara CA., Santa Barbara Int’l Film Festival Kicks Off, The Secret of The Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Amgen Tour of California Comes to Santa Barbara Again
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
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Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice, Your Online Real Estate Resource
February 15th, 2008 Categories: Buyer's Resources, Santa Barbara, Seller's Resources
Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice is an online resource for Santa Barbara Real Estate, Montecito Real Estate and the surrounding areas. When you work with a real estate agent to sell or buy a home, it will in all likelihood be the first or second largest financial decision of your life!! That is a very big decision. With that in mind, Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice is here to help you with finding information for all your real estate related questions and needs for Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland, Goleta, Hope Ranch, Carpinteria and the Santa Barbara Wine Country.
- You can search the Santa Barbara area MLS…for free
- You can sign up to receive Santa Barbara area listings with detailed information, pictures, maps etc. The listings will be sent to your personal email address and will meet only your specific needs and criteria…for free
- You can sign up for RSS feeds which provide you with updated information and articles that are written about the Santa Barbara area with such topics as market statistics, market updates, neighborhood info, schools, events, things to do etc…for free
Read Entire Story About Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice
Further Reading: Dreaming of Ocean View Homes and Estates in the Santa Barbara and Montecito Ca Areas?, The Secret of Santa Barbara and Montecito Oceanfront Property and Estates, Do Open Houses Work in the Santa Barbara and Montecito Areas, 5 Crucial Tips to Have Your Santa Barbara Home Ready for Sale in a Slow Market, Search the Santa Barbara MLS and More, Historic Housing Bill Signed…How Does this Effect CA Real Estate?, Little Known Advantages of Blogging Realtor in Santa Barbara and Montecito CA.
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
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Voted Best Restaurants in Santa Barbara CA. for 2008
February 8th, 2008 Categories: Restaurants, Santa Barbara
Every year here in Santa Barbara, locals from our area come out and vote for their favorite restaurants in town. It is essentially a casual review if you will on favorite local spots. Below are the winners for the 2008 competition as well as a few of my own personal favorites. Most all locals would agree that this year’s winners are excellent choices. ENJOY!!
Best American Restaurant Brewhouse
Best Bakery D’Angelo Bread
Best Barbecue Woody’s BBQ
Best Burger The Habit
Best Cajun Restaurant The Palace Grill
Best Californian Restaurant Fresco’s
Best Chinese Restaurant China Pavilion
Best Coffee House Daily Grind
Best Deli South Coast Deli Lazy Acres and Panino are also excellent
Best French Restaurant Bouchon
Best Fusion Restaurant Elements
Best German Restaurant Dutch Garden Restaurant
Best Greek Restaurant Greek House Cafe
Best Indian Restaurant Flavor of India
Best Italian Restaurant Ca Dario
Best Japanese Restaurant Arigato Sushi
Best Latin Restaurant Cafe Buenos Aires
Best Mediterranean Restaurant Chef Karim’s
Best Mexican Restaurant La Super Rica Los Arroyos is also excellent
Best Middle Eastern Restaurant Zaytoon
Best Pizza California Pizza Kitchen Paesano’s Pizzeria is also excellent
Best Seafood Restaurant Brophy Bros. The Enterprise Fish Co. is also excellent
Best Spanish Restaurant Alcazar
Best Steakhouse Holdren’s
Best Thai Restaurant Your Place Zen Yai is also excellent
Best Vegetarian Restaurant Sojourner Cafe
Best Vietnamese Restaurant Saigon In and Out
Further Reading: Treat Your Kitchen’s Home to Food from The Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market, The Secret of The Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Looking for an Active Vacation in The Beach Town of Santa Barbara?, Support Turning the Tide on Ocean Pollution Here in Santa Barbara CA., Santa Barbara Int’l Film Festival Kicks Off, Amgen Tour of California Comes to Santa Barbara Again, Your Santa Barbara Weekend Home Getaway, Restaurant Reviews for the Entire Santa Barbara Area
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
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Any Great Deals on Homes in Foreclosure in Santa Barbara?
February 5th, 2008 Categories: Buyer's Resources, First-time Home Buyers, Foreclosures - Bank Owned, Santa Barbara
This seems to be a common question I get here lately in Santa Barbara and Montecito, mainly from first-time home buyers and investors. Like many things in life though, it simply depends.
The common myth out there seems to universally be that homes in foreclosure must be the best opportunities to buy a cheaper home or get a “great deal”. Here is the big problem with this line of thought, at least in a town such as Santa Barbara or Montecito.
First, when you see statistics in the newspapers or online about foreclosures in the Santa Barbara area, it almost always refers to Santa Barbara County which includes the areas of Lompoc and Santa Maria. Both the Lompoc and Santa Maria areas are extremely different than Santa Barbara proper and really have little to do with the Real Estate market here. For almost everyone, when you talk about Santa Barbara on a Real Estate scale, you are talking about Santa Barbara, Montecito, Hope Ranch, Carpinteria, Summerland and Goleta. All of these towns are one continuous area stretching about 24 miles from Carpinteria in the south to Goleta in the north. Santa Maria and Lompoc on the other-hand are both roughly another 55 minute drive north of Goleta and represent an entirely different Real Estate scale. So when you see statistics about this area and possibly a listing for a nicer single family 3 bedroom 2 bath home, just needing a little buyer’s vision in foreclosure for $475,000, we are not talking about Santa Barbara proper.
Most of the foreclosures I have seen in Santa Barbara have arisen in the last 18 months and have been at the lower end of the price scale represented mainly by condos from about $300,000 to $600,000, as well as some single family homes from roughly $650,000 to $1.2 Million (based on the MLS listings). The problem with these foreclosures is that many of these homes were bought at the height of the market and now the previous owners have walked away from their mortgage payments as the market has dipped. Many of these buyers also bought with very little to no money down and therefore banks now mostly have larger expenses on these properties than what the market will bare. The banks still need to sell these properties to recoup some expenses, but their “discounted” price is often just today’s market price.
So are there any deals on homes in Foreclosure here in Santa Barbara?
Yes, but not that often and you have to be quick. I have personally seen about 15-20 foreclosures that I feel are “good deals” since early 2007 and these have all been in escrow within a few days. As a buyer or an investor here in the Santa Barbara and Montecito areas, the best thing to do is to work with an experienced full-time Realtor that knows the pulse of the market and knows what you are looking for. Who owns the property should be one of the least important factors of your decision process. The best is to simply look with your Realtor at what homes are available and make comparisons of the properties based on location, price and other important personal factors and then decide what is best for you, not what is in foreclosure.
Any thoughts or comments on what you have seen personally?
View: Current Listings of Homes in Foreclosure in Santa Barbara CA.
Further Reading: Potential Negatives to Buying Santa Barbara Homes in Foreclosure, Strategies to Buying a Home in Foreclosure Here in Santa Barbara CA., Are Short Sales a Good Path to Santa Barbara Real Estate Ownership?, Any Great Short Sale Opportunities in Goleta and Santa Barbara CA.?, Little Known Advantages of Blogging Realtor in Santa Barbara and Montecito CA.
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
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Angelina Jolie Receives Prestigious Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
February 4th, 2008 Categories: Community Events, Lifestyle / Things to Do, Santa Barbara
The 23rd edition of Santa Barbara International Film Festival came to a close this weekend with some of the biggest Hollywood stars being honored. Angelina Jolie was the main focus this weekend receiving the event’s ‘Performance of the Year’ award handed out to her by Clint Eastwood. The award was bestowed to the famous actress for her wonderful portrayal of Mariane Pearl, wife of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, in ‘A Mighty Heart’.
After collecting the award, Mrs. Jolie answered a few questions with the audience and candidly spoke about dealing with the insanity of Hollywood. With her husband Bradd Pitt and their children at her side, Mrs. Jolie expressed that “I think it’s the only way to juggle it.” Jolie expressed that she was delighted to be honoured by Eastwood, who is currently directing her in new movie The Changeling. ”Clint Eastwood? Awwww! Don’t get me started. I could talk forever about him. I could turn the whole evening into a Clint Eastwood evening.” She then added, ”I think he’s just a genuinely great guy. He’s nice to everybody on set.” Apparently the press has explicit instructions to not address Mrs. Jolie and her husband partner Brad Pitt about recent rumors that they are expecting a baby.
Further Reading: Support Turning the Tide on Ocean Pollution Here in Santa Barbara CA., Summer Art, Culture, Festivals in Santa Barbara CA., Santa Barbara Int’l Film Festival Kicks Off, The Secret of The Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Amgen Tour of California Comes to Santa Barbara Again, Your Santa Barbara Weekend Home Getaway
For information on Real Estate here in Santa Barbara, Montecito and/or our surrounding areas, as well as any other aspects of life in our area, please don’t hesitate to contact Kevin Schmidtchen at Sotheby’s Int’l Realty.
Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to contact me or comment below with any thoughts.
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Santa Barbara International Film Festival Kicks Off!!
January 24th, 2008 Categories: Community Events, Lifestyle / Things to Do, Santa Barbara
The 23rd installment of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) kicks off tonight and continues through February 3rd, featuring 220 films including 20 World Premieres, located in various venues throughout Santa Barbara. The festival itself has grown tremendously in the last 5 years under the direction of Roger Durling.
For locals, one of the greatest aspects of the SBIFF is the representation of local directors and film makers from the Santa Barbara, Montecito and surrounding areas. View the entire schedule of events, films, talks, tributes, panels, directors…you name it.
This years honorees for various awards are:
Cate Blanchett receiving the esteemed Modern Master Award, moderated by long-time friend o’ the fest, Leonard Maltin on Saturday, January 26.
Javier Bardem receiving The Montecito Award, moderated by SBIFF Director Roger Durling on Monday, January 28.
Ryan Gosling receiving the newly-created Independent Award, moderated by Entertainment Weekly Bureau Chief Sean Smith on Tuesday, January 29.
Tommy Lee Jones receiving the American Riviera Award, sponsored by The Bluffs along the Santa Barbara Coast and moderated by another long-time friend, Pete Hammond, on Friday, February 1.
Angelina Jolie receiving the Outstanding Performance of the Year Award, moderated by Pete Hammond on Saturday, February 2.
Learn more about Santa Barbara and Montecito.
Further Reading: Support Turning the Tide on Ocean Pollution Here in Santa Barbara CA., Summer Art, Culture, Festivals in Santa Barbara CA., The Secret of The Santa Barbara Channel Islands, Amgen Tour of California Comes to Santa Barbara Again, Your Santa Barbara Weekend Home Getaway
Kevin Schmidtchen - Thank you for reading. I hope you find Santa Barbara Real Estate Voice informative. Please feel free to comment below with any thoughts.
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